3. Consider the rewards of diligence. This labour will turn to a good effect : 1 Cor. xv. 58, ' Your labour shall not be in vain in the Lord.' If there were nothing in chase, or not so great a reward, we had more excuse ; but when the reward is so full and so sure, shall not we labour for it? We labour and toil, and use all diligence to obtain the things of this world ; and shall we think to go to heaven with our hands in our bosom, or lying upon a bed of ease ? To see men under the power of a lust may shame us, Ps. cxxvii. 2. Men rise early and go to bed late to gain the world ; men labour, sweat, and travail, and spare no cost to go to hell. The devil gets more servants than God with all his promises, threatenings, and mercies. Shall they be so diligent that have such bad work, worse wages, and the worst master, and shall not we bestir ourselves ?
4. The whole course of nature inviteth us to labour and diligence, in order to our future estate. The sun is unwearied in his motion, that he may go up and down, preaching God to the world : Prow vi. 6, ' Go to the ant, thou sluggard ; consider her ways, and be wise.' There is a great deal of morality hidden in the bosom of nature, if we had the skill to find it out. What can the ant do ? ' She provideth her meat in summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest' These little creatures are not able to endure the cold of winter, therefore work themselves deep into the earth, but they carry their food along with them ; and should not we have as great a sense of futurity ? We cannot endure the day of the Lord unless we make provision : Prow x. 5, ' He that gathereth in summer is a wise son, but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.' Now is our season to work, that in the day of our accounts we may not be unprovided.
The means against sloth are faith, patience, and love. Faith and patience we have in one place : Heb. vi. 12, ' That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the pro-
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mises.' They inherited the promises, that is, the things promised. If we propound to ourselves such a divine and nohle end as those great and glorious things that are offered in the promises, we must use the means. They had faith, so must we have ; they had patience, and we must he patient.
[1.] By faith we are not to understand confidence and reliance upon God's promises ; a probable human faith and hope will not be sufficient; but a firm adherence to God's word : whatever falleth out we are sure to have enough in the promise. We must have faith, because the things promised are invisible, rare, and excellent, far above the power of the creature to give. The promise is a firm and immutable foun- dation of our hope ; we should rejoice in it as much as if the thing promised were in hand : ' In God I will rejoice, in the Lord I will praise his word ;' or praise his word till the thing promised cometh to be enjoyed : ' Faith is the substance of things hoped for.'
[2.] For patience : Heb. x. 36, ' For ye have need of patience, that after ye have done the will of God ye might receive the promise.' And we must have patience, because the things hoped for are to come, and at a great distance : Boni. viii. 25, ' But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.' Besides, we shall meet with many difficulties, oppositions, and trials, all which must be over- come: many things must be done, many things must be suffered, and we must make our way through the midst of dreadful enemies before we can attain our end. Further, our desires are vehement, and we long for enjoyment, which is yet to come ; therefore we must be patient, that we may quietly wait God's leisure : Bom. ii. 7, ' To them who by patient continuing in well-doing, seek for glory, honour and immor- tality, eternal life.'
[3.] The next grace is love. Where there is love there will be labour, Heb. vi. 10, ' For God is not unrighteous, to forget your work and labour of love ;' 1 Thes. i. 3, ' Kemembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope ;' Bev. ii. 3, 4, ' And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted : nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.' And love is said ' to endure all things,' 1 Cor. xiii. 7. It was love made Christ to suffer hunger and weariness, and to forbear to refresh himself for the good of souls ; it was love made him endure the bitter agonies of the cross. Love puts strength and life into the soul, addeth wings and feet to the body, spareth no pains nor cost. Keep up this grace, and you have an over- ruling bent upon your hearts.